One Second and a Million Miles
by Madison Barton-Maximoff
Summary: Steve and Madison are officially broken up, but that doesn't mean they'll let it get in the way of them doing their jobs. This time however, instead of a crazy God trying to end the world, it's a rogue AI that Stark creates. What happens when Madison meets and falls in love with a certain silver haired Sokovian?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**A/N - Welcome to the first chapter of "One Second and a Million Miles"! I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Madison was once again in the heat of battle. This time in some far off country called Sokovia.

She'd spent the last year with Fury, so it wasn't like she hadn't seen any action.

In all that time, Steve had never once contacted her, giving her the space he knew she needed.

It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that he had called her asking her to help him and the Avengers raid a HYDRA base.

She was still figuring out how to use her powers though after finding out that it was Loki's fault she had them in the first place. When he healed her after the Battle of Manhattan, he had transfer some of his powers over to her.

* * *

_Madison opened her eyes and found herself in a golden throne room.  
_

_Loki sat in front of her on a throne. "Hello, little dove", he said, stepping down from the throne.  
_

_"What am I doing here?"  
_

_"Is that any way to greet someone who has gifted you with such power?"  
_

_She glared at him and said, "What the hell did you do to me?"  
_

_"You were weak. I simply made you stronger"._

_"You had no right!"_

_"Would you rather be dead? Because that's what will happen if I take it away. Your body had so much damage. You were practically on death's doorstep. You would be dead without my magic".  
_

_Madison was silent.  
_

_"You were ordinary. I made you extraordinary", Loki told her.  
_

_"So, what? I can do whatever I want to now?"_

_"Do not get carried away, little dove. Using too much of your powers will kill you. And I may not be able to heal you again". _

* * *

Loki had been visiting her in her dreams, teaching her his magic, for months now.

Stark's voice brought her out of her head. "Shit".

"Language", Steve said.

Madison giggled, taking out a couple of more HYDRA agents.

"JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?" Steve asked.

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield", the AI answered, "Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken".

"Loki's scepter must be here", Thor told them, "Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last".

"Can we not bring up your homicidal brother up right now?" Madison asked, her dagger embedding itself in a HYDRA agent's chest.

"At long last is lasting a little long, boys", Natasha said, "You good Baby Bird?"

"I'm good. Running low on ammo though".

"I think we lost the element of surprise", her father said, "Madison, I thought you had magic fingers?"

"Very funny, daddy".

"Can I get some of those magic fingers?" Stark asked.

"Focus on your job", Madison said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, Stark. Quit hitting on my daughter", Clint told him.

"Is no one else gonna deal with fact that Cap just said 'language'?" Stark asked.

"I know. Just slipped out", Steve said.

Madison smirked. He never seemed to mind when it was coming out of _her_ mouth.

"We have an Enhanced in the field", Steve said.

"Wait. Besides me?" Madison asked him.

"Clint's hit!" Natasha yelled through the com.

"Daddy!" Madison yelled. She ran towards her father, but stopped when something zoomed past her. She placed an arrow in her bow and aimed it.

About 20 feet in front of her stood a boy with bright blue eyes and hair that matched the snow beneath their feet. He was twirling one of her father's arrows in his hand.

She lowered her bow. There was something about him that told Madison he wasn't a threat.

The boy suddenly stood in front of her.

Could he teleport? Or was he just fast?

He raised a hand to her cheek and tilted Madison's head up. The moment he touched her, it was like the rest of the world fell away. His eyes were so blue, they were almost neon. Maybe that was because of his power, but god, she wanted to drown in those eyes.

The boys' thumb came up to stroke her bottom lip.

Madison's body felt like it had been thrown into a lake of fire. She wanted his lips on hers. His skin against hers.

"Madison! Location" she heard Steve yell through her com, breaking her trance.

The boy winked at her and placed a kiss on her cheek before disappearing.

Steve came upon Madison, still looking at where the boy had stood, panting slightly.

What the hell was that? Madison had never felt like this before. Not even with Steve.

"Madison?" he asked her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Go get 'em big boy". She patted him on the chest and kissed him on the cheek, before running off to find her father and Natasha. Madison finally found them and dropped to her knees next to her father.

"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac", Natasha told them. She grabbed Madison's hands and placed them on Clint's side. "Hold that".

Thor touched down next to them and helped get Clint to the jet, where Natasha was able to tend to him better.

Madison's fingers came up to touch her lips. _  
_

_Who was he?_

* * *

So...what did we think about the first chapter?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**A/N - I'm loving this fic more and more!**

* * *

On the way back to New York, Madison sat on the floor next to her father's gurney.

One of his hands was lightly stroking her hair trying to comfort her as best he could.

She'd never come this close to losing him.

After talking to Bruce, Natasha made her way over to the father and daughter duo. She checked on Clint's fluids, before sitting down next to Madison. "It'll be okay, Baby Bird", Natasha told her, "Dr. Cho will take care of him".

"He could've died", Madison said softly, "I wish there was something I could do".

Even though Madison had been practicing with her powers for a year, she really only knew how to move things. She still didn't have the power to heal people.

Thor walked over to where Madison sat by her father. "I know what my brother has done to you, little bird", he said, "I know that he cared about you which is why it pains me to tell you that Loki is dead".

"What? But...that's not possible".

"Loki died to protect Jane. The woman I love".

Loki couldn't be dead. He'd been visiting Madison in her dreams for months.

Natasha reached over and took Madison's hand in hers.

Thor had been tricked. He just didn't know it yet.

"Maybe it's for the best", Madison said, shrugging.

Loki _could_ be dead, but she wasn't so sure.

* * *

When they arrived at Avenger's tower, a medical team rushed Clint off.

Normally Madison would've gone after them, but she was exhausted. She went to her room to get cleaned up. She was taking her hair down when there was a knock at her door. "Come in!" she called. Madison was surprised to see Steve enter her room.

"Hey", he said.

"Hey", she echoed.

"Are you okay?"

Madison wished people would quit asking her that. "I'm fine. Really Steve. Haven't had any nightmares or flashbacks since DC".

Steve and Madison never really discussed what happened while the helicarriers were going down. Steve opened his mouth to say something.

"If you say 'sorry' one more time, I'll kick your ass", she told him.

Steve gave her a shy smile, one of her favorites. "I've missed that mouth of yours".

"I always knew you liked it, big boy. Now get out. I need to shower".

Steve chuckled. "It's good to have you back Madison. Just like old times".

_Just like old times._ Madison wished she could go back to the lovesick girl she was at 18. Instead of the damaged young woman she was today. "It's good to be back, Steve", she told him.

Steve gave her one last smile before leaving her room.

After showering and getting dressed, Madison made her way to Tony's lab. Her father was sitting up without a gaping hole in his side.

"Anybody know what that quick bastard's name was?" Clint asked.

"Steve said he's called Pietro Maximoff. He has a twin sister named Wanda. They were orphaned at 10 when their apartment building exploded", Natasha told them.

_Pietro_. So that was his name.

That night, Madison had the strangest dream.

* * *

_Thin fingers threaded themselves in her hair. Blunt fingernails lightly scraped her scalp as a quiet whimper left her mouth. Madison heard a deep chuckle in her ear.  
_

_"Do you like that Printsessa?" an accented voice teased her.  
_

_A pair of lips met her neck and Madison gasped.  
_

_The man turned her around in his arms and her brown eyes met a pair of familiar blue ones.  
_

_"You", Madison breathed.  
_

_It was the boy from the forest. Pietro. What was he doing in her dream?  
_

_"Shhh", he cooed, connecting their lips.  
_

_Her hands came up to tangle in his silver locks as he hoisted her up in his arms. The next thing she knew, her back was hitting a bed.  
_

_Pietro stood above her, his blue eyes burning. His silver and brown hair was mussed and he was panting. The desire was easy to see in his eyes.  
_

_Madison pulled him on top of her, their lips meeting in a fiery kiss.  
_

_Pietro broke away again. With a hand in her hair, he roughly yanked her head back.  
_

_Madison moaned loudly as Pietro smirked. So she liked it rough, did she?  
_

_Pietro trailed kisses down her neck as Madison whimpered softly. He sank his teeth into her neck, marking her as his as she yelled out his name.  
_

_"Pietro!"_

* * *

Madison sat up in bed, trembling. She smoothed her sweaty hair back from her face as she gasped for air. Her hand touched her neck where Pietro bit her, but there was nothing there.

It felt so real though.

She got out of bed and splashed some water on her face. After wiping her face, she left her bedroom and wandered into the living area.

The lights in the lab were still on.

Stark and Banner were up.

"Hey", Stark said, noticing her standing in the entrance to the lab. "Bad dream?" he asked her, "You didn't wake up screaming this time".

"Just a weird dream, is all", she told him, fiddling with a pen at Tony's workstation.

"You feeling okay?"

Her cheeks and chest were flushed, but at the same time she looked pale and was shaking slightly.

Tony put down his tools and said, "Come on. Let's get you back in bed".

"No!" she said, sharply. If she went back to sleep there was no telling what would happen.

"Okay. Okay", Tony told her.

Madison sat down on the lab floor, leaning up against Tony's desk. She didn't understand what was happening.

On the other side of world, Pietro shot up in bed, breathing heavily.

"Pietro?" his sister, Wanda, asked him.

Pietro had had wet dreams before, but this one had felt so real. He could still feel her skin on his fingertips. His lips tingled and felt swollen.

It didn't feel like a dream.

"Who was she?" Wanda asked.

"I met her in the forest", Pietro told her.

"She's one of them".

"It was just a dream Wanda", Pietro told his twin.

_Or was it?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**A/N - As per usual, dreams are in _italics_.**

* * *

Clint entered Banner and Stark's lab the next morning. "Hey, you two seen Madison? She's not in her room", he said.

Tony shushed him and pointed at Madison, who was now lying on the floor.

"She just fell asleep about an hour ago", Banner told him.

"She hasn't slept all night?" Clint asked.

"She came into the lab about midnight. I tried to get her to go back to bed, but she was really shaken up", Stark said, "I asked her what was going on. I thought she had another nightmare or something, but usually wakes up screaming when she does".

"Did she say anything about the dream she had?" Clint asked.

Stark shrugged and said, "She just said she had a weird dream, but she didn't want to go back to sleep".

"She's been sitting over there all night, spaced out. It was like she was trapped in her own mind", Banner said, knowing how it felt.

Clint leaned down and picked up his daughter. "She'll be more comfortable in her own bed", he said, as Madison's head came to rest in his neck. He smiled.

She used to do the same thing when she was younger.

He carried her to her room, ignoring the looks from the other Avengers. He laid her in her bed and kissed her forehead, before leaving.

Clint ran a hand down his face. Something was going on with Madison and Clint had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with her powers.

"Hey, what's going on?" Natasha asked him.

"Stark said Madison wandered into the lab around midnight. She hasn't slept all night. Apparently she only fell asleep about an hour ago", Clint told her, "I'm worried about her. I think this is getting to be too much for her".

"She's been through a lot lately. It's going to take her a while to level out".

* * *

_"I feel like I need…what is it you mortal's say…mind bleach?" Loki's smug voice said._

_ Madison opened her eyes and she was once again in the golden throne room.  
_

_Loki was sitting on the throne, his legs spread open.  
_

_"You sit like a whore", she told him.  
_

_"Takes one to know one, love"._

_"I'm not a whore".  
_

_"Really? Because you seem to bounce between super-powered men".  
_

_Madison didn't have a comeback for that.  
_

_"Why don't you come kneel between them?" he asked smirking.  
_

_Madison crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "You're disgusting".  
_

_"Would you do it if I looked like this?" He snapped his fingers and transformed into Pietro.  
_

_Madison growled in frustration. "What do you want, Loki?"  
_

_Loki's trick faded away and he stood up, walking towards her. "I wanted to check up on you. I see you've learn how to project consciousness. Such a clever little dove. I didn't even have to teach you how to do it".  
_

_"I don't even know how I did it!"  
_

_"Clearly your feelings for this boy are so strong that it created a connection between the two of you".  
_

_Madison scoffed. "So what, he's like my soulmate now?"  
_

_Loki smirked. "Precisely, mortal".  
_

_"It's not possible. There's no such thing as soulmates".  
_

_"You should have more faith in your ancestors. If the Norse wrote stories about us as their gods…"  
_

_"…then all the mythology is true?"  
_

_Loki rolled his eyes. "Don't believe everything you read, but the majority of it is true. Do you know the myth behind soulmates?"  
_

_"Vaguely".  
_

_"Not very many find them, so you should be thankful little dove"._

_Madison wasn't quite sure whether to believe Loki or not, but she had bigger problems than figuring out if Pietro was indeed her soulmate. "What about my dream?" she asked him.  
_

_Loki sighed. "You don't know where he is, so your mind created a place for you to meet".  
_

_"So theoretically, I could use my powers to pinpoint his location?"_

_"That would make meeting secretly much easier, wouldn't it?"  
_

_"Loki, why did you give me these powers? I know you said it just happened when you healed me, but I know you. You did it for a reason".  
_

_"I would never lie to you, little dove. I may be a liar and a trickster, but I've never lied to you".  
_

_"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Omission is the same as lying".  
_

_"Very well. I gave you your powers because I was going to use you".  
_

_"Use me? For what?" she asked him. Madison was angry now. Loki had messed with her father's mind and now he wanted to do the same with her?  
_

_"For my own purposes. I'm a very selfish person, you see. I was going to bring you back to Asgard. Make you my own personal attack dog, maybe".  
_

_"Then why haven't you!" Green magic began to leave her fingers._

_ Loki smiled and pointed to her hands.  
_

_Madison looked down and raised her hands to her face, examining the magic._

_ "Because of that. Your fire, your fight. You could be so powerful if you wanted to be", he told her.  
_

_"So what? You want the credit? So you can say that you created me?"  
_

_Loki stepped closer to her, raising a hand to her face. His knuckles lightly brushing her cheek. "I want to see you grow. To you go from a little dove to a fiery phoenix". Loki leaned forward and pressed his cool lips to her forehead._

* * *

**A/N - I just couldn't help but put the "You sit like a whore" thing, because anyone who knows Tm knows that he sits like a whore with his legs spread apart. Also, for those of you who don't know the myth of soulmates, it's basically this:**

**When humans were created, they had four arms, four legs, and a single head made of two faces. The humans were so powerful and the gods grew scared, Zeus took his thunderbolt and split them down the middle. These humans were miserable until they found their other half. When they did, they felt complete again and lived the rest of their lives in utter happiness.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**A/N - As per usual, dreams are in _italics_. Thank you to everyone who is favoriting, following, and reviewing! I'm so glad you're enjoying this!**

* * *

Madison woke up around noon and left her room.

Stark and Banner were still in the lab working on the scepter.

Now that she somewhat knew what was going on, she would be prepared the next time she pulled Pietro into her dreams.

"Would you like some breakfast, Miss Barton?" JARVIS asked her.

"Um, no thank you". Madison made her way to the elevator and went to the training floor. If she was going to help the team, then she needed to know how to use her powers.

Now was a good time as any to start.

Daggers were always her strongest weapon, so she started with those. Madison raised a hand in the direction of them and concentrated, willing them to come to her.

If Thor could do it with his hammer, then why couldn't she do it with her knives?

Nothing happened. Madison huffed and tried again, putting all her energy into it. A knife came soaring towards her and Madison ducked as it embedded itself in the wall behind her.

Okay, so maybe she shouldn't have started with point objects.

Madison walked over to the storage closet and pulled out some tennis balls that her father used when practicing his aim and response time. Madison sat down on the floor with them and picked one up in her hand. She opened her hand, the ball sitting in her palm.

After a few minutes, she was able to make the ball float a few inches off her hand.

After a few hours, Madison was able to make them float feet in the air above her head and manipulate their positions.

Green tendrils of magic flowed between the tennis balls.

If she kept this up, she would be able to do whatever she wanted. Madison already knew how to summon her weapons to her like she had in DC.

"Madison!"

The sound of her father calling her name broke her concentration and tennis balls dropped to the ground. One of them rolled towards her father and hit his foot. He picked it up and tossed it up in the air, catching it. "Practicing?" he asked her.

Madison flicked her wrist and the tennis balls were back in the closet.

"Woah", he said.

"And that's with just a few hours". Madison stood up and felt dizzy.

Clint rushed forward to steady her. "Easy there, Baby Bird", he said, "Have you eaten today?"

Madison's head was pounding as she shook her head.

"C'mon, before you pass out", her father said leading her out of the training area.

Clearly, she needed to build up resistance to her powers so she didn't seriously hurt herself.

* * *

_Madison found herself sitting in a coffee shop with no recollection of how she got here. Her surroundings told her that she was still in New York, because she could see Avengers tower in the distance. Madison glanced across the table and Pietro. Once again, her subconscious had dragged him into her dreams._

_ "How did I get here?" he asked her. Pietro was confused. Why was this girl in his dreams again?  
_

_"Sorry about what happened last night. I'm still getting used to my powers".  
_

_"That's okay. I rather enjoyed it", he said smirking.  
_

_Normally a comment like that would have made Madison angry, but this time it didn't. Maybe it was because on some fundamental level, she enjoyed it too._

_ "So who exactly are you?" Pietro asked.  
_

_"Madison Barton, you nearly got my father killed".  
_

_"The bowman is your father?"  
_

_"Could you not tell by the way I nearly shot you with my bow?"_

_"I hadn't really noticed. I was too busy noticing how good you looked in that suit".  
_

_Madison cursed herself for blushing at the comment.  
_

_"You're adorable when you blush", Pietro said leaning towards her._

_ Madison's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.  
_

_"Would you mind explaining how we got here?" Pietro asked.  
_

_While Madison was talking, Pietro set his hand on hers.  
_

_Madison decided to leave out the whole "soulmates" thing because she still wasn't sure she believed in the concept.  
_

_"So, you actually died?" Pietro asked her.  
_

_"I nearly did".  
_

_"So this god gave you these powers?"  
_

_Madison nodded. "His scepter is the one who gave you your powers".  
_

_"We're not so different, you and I".  
_

_"I didn't volunteer for this", Madison said, standing up and ripping her hand out of Pietro's.  
_

_Pietro stood up too. "I'm sorry. But that's not what I meant".  
_

_"I never asked for this Pietro. I'd give anything to go back to being normal".  
_

_"But where's the fun in that? Why on earth would you want to be normal?"  
_

_Pietro stepped closer to Madison and placed a hand on her cheek. "I think you're amazing", he told her, his thumb stroking her cheek. Pietro leaned in closer to her, but before he could kiss her… _

Madison woke up.

* * *

Pietro sat up breathing heavily.

Wanda was standing by his bedside. "You saw the girl again", she said.

"Her name is Madison. Madison Barton. The man with the bow is her father".

"Why is she in your dreams?"

"Because she's enhanced like us. A god named Loki gave her his powers".

"You like her. She intrigues you".

* * *

**A/N - For those of you who have see Endgame, I'm going to feel so sorry for Madison for what I must do to her. But I've decided that after Endgame, the Madison Barton series will end. So we've still got Civil War and Infinity War. But I'll still probably post one-shots and drabbles for her.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**A/N - No Pietro in this chapter. *sad face***

* * *

"Sounds like a hell of a fight. Sorry I missed it", Sam told Steve.

"If I had known it was gonna be a firefight, I absolutely would have called", Steve said as they walked up the steps to the upper level.

"No, no. I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy".

"Be it ever so humble".

"You find a place in Brooklyn yet?"

"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn".

"Well, home is home, you know. Where's Madison? Isn't she like your little shadow?"

Steve shrugged. "She's been distant lately. Ever since we got back from Sokovia".

"She found out that some crazy god gave her powers. That would mess with anyone's head".

Steve shook his head. "Nah, something's going on that she's not telling us. I can feel it", Steve said.

Madison stood on the roof of Stark tower staring up at the sky. She wished she could see the stars.

Were the stars in Sokovia different to the ones here?

Madison had been thinking about Pietro a lot lately. She knew she shouldn't be, but she felt drawn to him. Some days she wanted to fly to Sokovia, just so she could be closer to him. "

Hey you", she heard. Natasha walked up and stood beside her. "What's going on? What are you doing up here?"

"I don't want to talk about it".

"Something must be going on, because you've hardly said a word to anyone all night".

Madison fiddled with her charm bracelet. When she got back from DC, she didn't have the heart to tell Peter she was back. "I'm just…thinking about what I want", Madison told her, "Steve and I are no longer in a relationship. I've spent the last few years of my life thinking that Steve was it for me".

"Baby Bird, you're only 21. You have your whole life ahead of you to think about that".

Madison didn't have the heart to tell Natasha about the moment she had with Pietro in the forest and how she had been pulling Pietro into her dreams since Sokovia.

"Come inside", Natasha told her, "You've done enough hiding for one night".

Madison followed Natasha back inside. Natasha led her over the bar and made her a strawberry daiquiri, Madison's favorite mix drink. As she looked around at the party guests and her extended family, she wished that Pietro was by her side.

* * *

Once all the party guests left and everyone was sufficiently buzzed, someone thought it would be a good idea to try and pick up Thor's hammer.

"But it's a trick", Clint said, twirling a drum stick in his fingers.

Madison sat on the floor next to her father beside Hill.

"No, no, it's much more than that", Thor said, taking a beer from Steve.

"Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power", her father said in a deep voice.

Madison giggled and Steve's head turned to her.

He missed hearing that sound, even if she was drunk.

"Whatever man! It's a trick", Clint added.

Thor laughed and said, "Please, be my guest".

"Really?" Clint asked, standing up.

"Yes", Thor told him.

Her father walked over to the hammer and tried picking it up, failing of course. "I still don't know how you do it!" Clint said, laughing.

"Smell the silent judgement?" Stark asked.

"Please, Stark, by all means".

Tony stood up and walked over to the hammer. "Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. It's physics. Right, so if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?"

Madison rolled her eyes. Like Thor or Loki would ever let that happen.

"Yes, of course", Thor said.

"I will be reinstating prima nocta", Stark said and tried to lift the hammer.

It didn't move.

"I'll be right back", he said and came back with one of his iron man hands.

It still didn't move.

Rhodey went and got one of his War Machine hands and tried to help Tony.

It still didn't move.

Banner even tried, but of course it didn't budge an inch.

Finally, Steve got up and Madison smiled. If anyone could lift Thor's hammer, it would be the star spangled man.

"Come on, Cap!" Madison cheered.

Steve pulled on it and it made a squeaking sound, Thor's smirk falling.

"Widow?" Banner asked.

"Oh, no, no. That's not a question I need answered", Natasha said.

Everyone's eyes fell on Madison.

"Well Baby Bird?" her father asked her.

Madison stood up and approached the hammer. Should she even try? She slipped her hand into the leather strap and wrapped her hand around the handle.

"Come on", Steve told her.

Madison chickened out at the last second and pulled her hand away, stalking over towards her father.

Stark started a debate about why they couldn't lift it, until Thor stood up and said, "That's an interesting theory. I have a simpler one. You're all not worthy".

There was a high pitched noise and everyone grabbed their heads.

"Worthy…" a robotic voice said.

They all turned to see one of Tony's busted up Iron Legion robots.

"No. How could you be worthy? You're all killers".

"Stark", Steve said, not taking his eyes off it.

Clint positioned himself in front of his daughter.

"I'm sorry. I was asleep. Or I was a-dream. There was this terrible noise. And I was tangled in…in…strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy".

"You killed someone?" Steve asked it.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices".

"Who sent you?" Thor asked.

It played back a recording of Stark's voice. "I see a suit of armor around the world".

"Ultron", Banner said.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on mission", Ultron told them.

"What mission?" Natasha asked.

"Peace in our time".

Stark's Iron Legion blasted through the wall and started attacking them.

Clint grabbed Madison and they took cover under some tables against the wall.

Madison looked down and saw her hands glowing green. She scrambled out from under the tables as her father yelled her name. Green fire filled her hands and Madison started throwing it at the robots.

"Cap!" Clint yelled, tossing him his shield.

Soon there was only one left.

Ultron.

"That was dramatic", he said, "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?" Ultron picked up one of the destroyed Iron Legion robots. "With these? These puppets. There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction".

Thor threw his hammer, destroying him.

"I had strings, but now I'm free", Ultron sang as he died.

Madison's eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed to the floor.

Steve and her father ran over to her.

"Madison?" Clint asked, "Hey, come on Baby Bird".

Madison's eyes fluttered open and she looked around. She groaned and grabbed her head.

"You've never done anything like that before", Steve told her.

"Yeah? Well, Stark created a homicidal Pinocchio".

* * *

**A/N - So what do we think? Can Madison lift Thor's hammer?**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**A/N - Thank you once again to those of you who review, favorite, and follow this story! You guys keep me going!**

* * *

"All our work is gone", Banner said, "Ultron cleared out. He used the Internet as an escape hatch".

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other", Natasha said.

Madison noticed that her father looked very uneasy for some reason.

"He's in your files, he's in the Internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodey asked, holding his shoulder.

"Nuclear codes", Hill said, picking glass out of her foot with a pair of tweezers.

"Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can", Rhodey told Stark.

"Nukes? He said he wanted us dead", Natasha said.

"He didn't say 'dead'. He said 'extinct'", Steve clarified.

"What? Like we're dinosaurs or something?" Madison quipped.

"He also said he killed somebody", Clint added.

"There wasn't anyone else in the building", Hill told him.

"Yes, there was", Stark said.

A broken down JARVIS appeared in Stark's lab.

"This is insane", Banner said, looking at the carnage.

Steve sighed. "JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would have shut Ultron down. It makes sense".

"No. Ultron could have assimilated JARVIS", Banner told him, "This isn't strategy. This is…"

"Rage", Madison finished.

Thor stormed into the lab and grabbed Stark by the throat.

"It's going around", Clint quipped.

"Come on, use your words, buddy", Stark taunted.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark", Thor said.

"Thor!" Steve snapped, "The Legionnaire".

"Trail went cold about 100 miles out, but it's headed north. And it has the scepter", Thor told them, "Now we have to retrieve it, again".

"Genie's out of that bottle", Natasha said, "Clear and present is Ultron".

"I don't understand. You built this program", Dr. Cho said, turning to Stark, "Why is it trying to kill us?"

Stark smiled and started laughing.

"You think this is funny?" Thor asked him.

"No. It's probably not, right? This is very terrible?" he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"This could have been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand", Thor told him.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this", Stark said.

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time", Banner interjected.

Stark turned to him. "Really? That's it? You just roll over, show your belly every time somebody snarls?"

"Only when I've created a murder bot".

"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?" Stark asked while Banner nodded his head and shoulders.

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here", Steve said, "The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD".

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole? Saved New York? Recall that?" Stark asked.

Madison was confused. She didn't remember that happening. Maybe that happened while she was passed out and dying.

Clint stared down at his hands, remembering that everything that happened was partially his fault. Guilt simmered in his eyes when they met Madison's.

"A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing 300 feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but up there, that's the endgame. How were you guys planning on beating that?" Stark asked.

"Together", Steve told him.

"We'll lose".

"Then we'll do that together, too. Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller".

* * *

Madison retreated to her room to clean up. After taking a shower and getting ready for bed, she sat on the floor with her legs crossed. She knew Loki could create a clone version of himself, so she wondered if she could do the same thing.

Loki told her that she could pinpoint his location using her powers. Even though she was still drained from the fight with Ultron, she focused on the _ping_ of Pietro's mind. Madison opened her eyes and found herself in a marketplace.

Pietro had a bag of stuff and was handing things out to people. Stealing and giving to the poor.

It was all very Robin Hood.

Pietro could feel Madison was close.

Madison watched the two siblings fight, but they were interrupted by a small boy.

"The church", he said, "The man said you need to come to the church".

"What man?" Wanda asked.

"The Iron Man".

The twins looked at each other. _  
_

_Pietro_.

That was new. He could hear Madison's voice in his head. His eyes searched the crowd before he saw her behind a building. "Stay here", Pietro told his sister.

"Pietro?"

"Stay here". He sped behind the building and found Madison standing there. He stepped toward her, but she said, "Wait".

She raised her hand and reached out towards Pietro. She gasped when she felt his jacket beneath her fingertips. Madison had expected her hand to go right through Pietro, but it didn't. "It worked! I did it!" she said.

Pietro smiled at her joy.

She slid her hand down his arm until their hands met.

Pietro's other hand came up to Madison's hair. He tangled his fingers in the silky strands.

Madison's eyes fluttered shut. Pietro's touch set her body on fire.

"Pietro?" they heard Wanda ask. She was getting closer.

"No, no, no", Pietro breathed as Madison began to fade. In seconds, he was left holding only the air.

"Pietro? Are you alright?" Wanda asked him.

"I'm fine. Come on", Pietro said.

Wanda knew there was something wrong with her brother, but she wouldn't betray his trust by getting in his head, so she said nothing and followed her brother.

They both entered the church and walked up to the chair in the center.

"Talk and if you are wasting our time…" Wanda started.

"Did you know this church is in the exact center of the city?" the man asked, "The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that. The geometry of belief".

Wanda tried her hardest, but she couldn't read his mind.

"You're wondering why you can't look inside my head", the man said.

"Sometimes it's hard. But sooner or later, every man shows himself", Wanda told him.

The figure stood up and it wasn't Iron Man. "Oh, I'm sure they do. But you needed something more than a man. That's why you let Stark take the scepter", he said.

"I didn't expect…but I saw Stark's fear. I knew it would control him. Make him self-destruct".

"Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war. Invaders create Avengers. People create…smaller people. Children! Lost the word there". Ultron chuckled. "Children, designed to supplant them, to help them…end".

"Is that why you've come, to end the Avengers?"

"I've come to save the world. But also…yeah".

As much as Pietro wanted revenge on Stark for what he had done, he couldn't help but think of Madison.

What would they do now that they were opposite sides?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**A/N - Thank you again to everyone who has been reviewing, favoriting, and following!**

* * *

The next morning, Madison found out that Pietro and his twin sister were helping Ultron. That meant they were now on opposing sides, yet she couldn't get him off her mind.

Last night had been a nice experiment, especially with the dream that followed. It was nothing special.

This time they were in Madison's apartment in Brooklyn and they spent the time they had just talking. About their likes, dislikes, etc. Standard stuff you would talk about when getting to know someone.

However, Pietro was very cagey about his past, but Madison didn't push him because she didn't tell him anything about the Avengers either.

"Suit up", Steve told her.

"Huh?" Madison said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Um, we know where the twins and Ultron are going next".

"Oh good".

Steve grabbed her arm. "Hey, are you alright? No one would look down on you if you sat this one out".

Madison rolled her eyes. "Please, we all know you guys wouldn't stand a chance without me, big boy".

Soon, they were off to the African coast.

This would be the first time Madison and Pietro would see each other face to face since the forest, if you didn't count Madison projecting herself to Sokovia the previous night and Madison was looking forward to it more than anything in the world.

* * *

Stark, Thor, and Steve stood in front of Ultron and the twins.

"Oh, junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart", Stark told him.

"If I have to".

"Nobody has to break anything", Thor said.

"Clearly you've never made an omelet", Ultron quipped.

"He beat me by one second", Stark said.

"Ah yes, he's funny. Mr. Stark", Pietro said, stepping forward, "It's what? Comfortable? Like old times?"

"This was never my life", Stark told them.

"Where's the girl?" Pietro asked, pretending like he didn't know who Madison was. "

What girl?" Steve asked him.

"The girl with the bow", Pietro said.

"Bring her in", Stark said, over the com.

"Wait. No", her father said, grabbing her arm.

"I'll be fine", Madison told him. She slung her bow over her back and stepped out from the shadows. She came to stand in between the two groups with her hands up.

Pietro's eyes met Madison's.

_Madison.  
_

_Pietro. _

"You can stop this, right now. You don't have to do this", Madison told him. She couldn't help but notice how nicely Pietro filled out his athletic shirt.

His biceps could easily compete with Steve's and Thor's and that was saying something.

Madison was so close to him. She could reach out and touch him if she wanted to.

"Ah, the little Dove", Ultron said, "The one that everyone claims to have the purest heart. But you're not a Dove. You've had a brush with death".

Madison's eyes met Pietro's eyes. Had he told Ultron?

"You're more like a…Phoenix. Your family is holding you back. It's time to spread your wings and fly".

"Don't listen to him Madison", Steve told her.

Ultron scoffed. "Captain America. God's righteous man. Pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but…"

Pietro moved closer to Madison without Ultron noticing.

Madison's eyes never once left his.

"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it", Thor said.

"I think you're confusing "peace" with "quiet", Ultron said.

"Uh-huh. What's the vibranium for?" Stark asked.

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan", Ultron quipped. He jerked Stark towards him and Pietro leapt forward and grabbed Madison, pulling her out of the line of fire as Ultron blasted Stark into the wall.

As Steve started fighting one of Ultron's copies, Madison turned to Pietro. "Go", she whispered.

"What? No".

Madison pulled away and pushed him back towards his sister. "Please go", she begged him, "Before they realize". She turned away from him and started firing arrows at the Ultron copies.

Pietro sped off leaving Wanda alone.

Madison took off in the opposite direction as Wanda blasted Steve back. At some point during the fight, she got separated from the group. "Steve! Daddy! Tasha!" Madison called. She didn't know where anyone was or where she was for that matter.

A pair of bright blue eyes appeared in front of her.

"Pietro", she breathed, throwing her arms around him.

"Madison", he said, burying his face in her hair.

Wanda stalked up to them, getting ready to blast Madison.

"No", Pietro told her, "Deal with the others".

Wanda nodded and walked away.

Pietro's eyes met Madison's again. He wanted to kiss her so badly.

As if reading his mind, Madison's lips met his.

It was so much better than the dream.

Pietro felt a pain in his head. He pulled away and gasped, "Wanda". Pietro looked down at Madison. "Do you trust me?" Without waiting for an answer, he quickly kissed her forehead murmuring, "Forgive me".

Before Madison knew it, her head met a metal railing for the second time in her life.

Pietro felt terrible for doing that to her, but sped out to find his sister. He found her with an arrow attached to her forehead, electrocuting her. Pietro launched Madison's father through a glass window and scooped up his sister in his arms.

"Yeah, you better run", Clint groaned, "Baby Bird?"

Madison didn't answer.

He made his way through the ship and found her. "Madison!" he yelled, rushing to her side.

Madison groaned.

"Madison?" he asked her.

She muttered something in Russian, but it was so soft that Clint couldn't make it out.

"Madison, can you open your eyes for me?" Clint asked her.

They heard a loud roar.

Madison opened her eyes and shot up. She looked around frantically. "Where are they?" she asked.

"They're gone. They unleashed the Hulk", her father told her, "C'mon. We need to go find the others".

* * *

**A/N - We're off to the farm house next and you can believe there's gonna be a Madison level meltdown.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**N/A - No Pietro in this one, but I promise you will get some Madison/Pietro action in the next chapter! Also, to answer some questions: Yes, Madison will evolve into her "Phoenix" powers, but like the people at Marvel, I have my series planned out and it probably won't be until the last book or second to last book that Madison will become a Phoenix. She's still figuring out her powers and doesn't have that kind of juice. But yes, her power will be on the level of Jean Grey's 'Dark Phoenix'.**

* * *

They were all back on the Quinjet after what happened.

Thor, Natasha, and Steve had gotten hit by Wanda's mind tricks, along with Banner who went on a rampage.

Madison wanted to cry, because she was so conflicted. Her heart literally felt like it was breaking in her chest, but it didn't change the fact that Pietro had prevented Wanda from getting in her head. Pietro cared about her. Of that she was certain. Madison sat in the cockpit of the jet with her head on her father's knee, while one of his heads stroked her hair.

"The news is loving you guys", Hill told them, "Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air".

"Stark Relief Foundation?" Stark asked.

"Already on the scene. How's the team?"

"Everyone's…We took a hit. We'll shake it off".

"Well, for now, I'd stay in stealth mode and stay away from here".

"So, run and hide?"

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer".

Stark sighed. "Neither do we", Stark said and hung up. He came up behind Clint and Madison. "Hey, you wanna switch out?" Stark asked Clint.

"No, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time because we're still a few hours out".

"Few hours from where?"

"A safe house".

Madison wanted to sleep, but if she slept she knew she'd see Pietro and she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

* * *

They touched down in a field located on a farm and walked up to the house. It didn't look like much of a safe house to Madison.

"What is this place?" Thor asked.

"Safe house", Stark told him.

"Let's hope", Clint said.

They entered the house.

"Honey, I'm home!" Clint called.

A woman came around the corner and she was very pregnant.

"Hi", Clint said, "Company. Sorry, didn't call ahead".

She walked up to him and kissed him.

Everyone looked confused, including Madison.

Who was this woman? And why was she kissing her father? Whose kid was she pregnant with?

"This is an agent of some kind", Stark said.

"Guys, this is Laura", Clint told them.

"I know all of your names", Laura said with a sheepish smile. Laura noticed the young girl standing amongst the Avengers. "And you. You must be Madison. Clint talks about you all the time".

Two kids came running down the stairs and hugged her father.

A little girl and a little boy.

"Dad!" the little girl yelled.

Clint hugged them.

"Did you bring Auntie Nat?"

"Why don't you hug her and find out?" Natasha said as the two ran up to her.

Steve looked at Madison, whose eyes were filling with tears.

The little girl walked up to Madison and stood in front of her.

"Hi, what's your name?" she asked.

Madison turned around and walked out the front door.

"Madison! Madison, wait!" her father called after her.

Madison ignored him as she headed for the Quinjet.

"Madison Annemarie Barton! Stop!"

Madison stopped walking and stood with her back to her father. "You lied to me".

"I did and I'm sorry for that".

Madison put her hands over her eyes and took deep breaths. She turned to face her father.

"Just…come back to the house. You don't have to come inside or even talk to them", he told her.

Madison followed her father back to the house and sat down on the porch steps.

Clint went upstairs to change, Laura following him. As he changed, he told Laura about what had been happening.

"It's bad, right?" Laura asked him.

"Ultron has these allies. These, uh, kids. They're punks, really. But they carry a big damn stick. Nat took a serious hit. Someone's gonna need to teach them some manners". He walked over to the window. "Sad thing is the Maximoff kids aren't much older than Madison. She's upset with me".

"She's young. Of course she's upset".

"I don't know if she'll ever forgive me".

"She's your daughter and she loves you. She won't stay mad at you forever".

Clint made his way downstairs to the porch, where Madison was watching Steve and Stark chop wood. He sat down next to her. "Madison…"

"Don't", she said moving away from him.

"Madison, I'm sorry".

"Sorry isn't going to fix this". Madison was silent for a while before saying, "All I wanted was a family".

Clint wanted to tell her that she'd always had one, but he knew what she was talking about.

She wanted a mother, a father, and maybe some siblings, not a mishmash of people taking care of her.

"I met Laura shortly after your mother's death, but you were already so attached to everyone at SHIELD. I knew I couldn't just pack up and move you down here", Clint told her.

Madison stood up. "Well you should've! Maybe then I would've been normal! I would've grown up with a mother! I would've gone to a normal school and not have had to worry if I was going to be an orphan or not! I would've never gone through the things I have! I wouldn't have gotten hurt in the Battle of New York! An Asgardian would've never given me powers I don't even really know how to use!"

Madison was in tears by now. "I just wanted a family. I wanted normal holidays. I wanted my dad to come to career day, so I could say "Yeah, my dad's a hero". I wanted a dad who would've actually been there for me, instead of just dropping me off with someone. I just…"

Madison had run out of words.

"I know you said that sorry wouldn't make anything better, but I am. I am so sorry Madison".

Madison broke down and hugged her father. She sobbed so hard her body shook.

It brought Clint to tears to know how much he'd hurt his own daughter. "I'm so sorry", he whispered to her, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've ever done and for everything I didn't do. I wanted to be a good father to you, but I didn't know how. I was young and I loved your mother so much. When she died, I didn't know what to do. I thought that if I threw myself into missions, I would forget about your mother. But I didn't. I never forgot about her and there are some nights I wonder what our lives would have been like if she had lived. I tried. I want you to know that I tried to save your mother. I didn't just let her die. I tried to save her so she would be there for you. I know all you wanted was a normal family, but you can still have that".

Madison pulled away from Clint. "No I can't. We'll never be a real family".

"Why?"

"Because you're married. To _her_".

Clint couldn't help but smile. Madison was 21, but he guessed that all children experienced jealousy when it came to step-parents.

"She'll never replace your mother, you know that?" Clint told her.

"I'm not talking about Piper", Madison said softly.

Clint sighed. "Just because I married Laura, doesn't mean Natasha stops being your mother. She doesn't want to replace Natasha's place in your life. All I ask is that you get to know her and your siblings".

* * *

**A/N - I'm seeing Endgame again this weekend. Like I said, I have my series planned out and what I want to happen during each movie, but I'm most excited for Endgame. You guys will not see what I've got planned coming! I'm also going to include alternative scenes for this book once it's completed, since I've written both endings (happy and sad). The alternative scenes will not having any bearing on the next book though.**

**I'm working on titles for the next book, but I don't currently have any so feel free to make suggestions!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**A/N - We've only got a couple more chapters left. Still shopping around for titles for the next installment. **

* * *

After Madison had calmed down, she went inside the house.

"C'mon Baby Bird, let's get you cleaned up", Natasha told her. She ran a bath for Madison and helped her wash her hair.

Laura left a pair of pajamas on the bed for Madison to change into after her bath.

Natasha talked as she brushed and braided Madison's hair.

"Why would you lie to me?" Madison asked her.

Natasha sighed. "I know you thought your father and I were…But he was just doing what he thought was in your best interest and I went along with it because…There's a reason I've always treated you like a daughter. That's because I can't have my own children".

"That's horrible".

"When I was younger, I didn't care. I only cared about completing my mission".

"I don't know what I would do if I couldn't have children".

"You shouldn't even be thinking about that".

"I know, but every little girl wants to grow up and get married. Have children…Will you sing me to sleep like you used to?"

Natasha smiled.

Madison got under the covers with her head in Natasha's lap.

Natasha started singing a Russian lullaby from her childhood.

Madison was asleep in no time with a faint smile on her lips.

* * *

_Pietro and Madison stood in a field.  
_

_"How could you tell him that?" Madison asked Pietro, "I trusted you!"  
_

_"I didn't", he insisted.  
_

_"How is this ever going to work if I can't trust you?" Madison's eyes filled with tears.  
_

_Pietro wrapped his arms around her. "I swear I didn't tell him. I would never betray you like that".  
_

_Even if this was just a dream, Madison could feel the heat of Pietro's body against hers. Madison's head fit perfectly below Pietro's.  
_

_They gently swayed side to side as Pietro rubbed her back.  
_

_"Do you have any idea how guilty Banner feels right now?" she asked him, "He already hates who he is. Why are you doing this?"  
_

_Pietro let go of her and stepped back.  
_

_Madison could see the look of pain in his blue eyes.  
_

_"I can't…" Pietro told her.  
_

_"It's okay. I won't pressure you". Madison placed her hands on his cheeks, feeling his stubble lightly scrape her palms.  
_

_Pietro leaned forward, his forehead touching Madison's while her thumbs lightly caressed his jawline.  
_

_Madison could hear someone calling her name, but she didn't want to let go of Pietro. Please don't take me away from this, Madison begged.  
_

_The last thing she remembered was Pietro's lips against her temple._

* * *

Madison opened her eyes and saw Natasha standing over her.

"Do you want to explain why you were saying the Maximoff kid's name in your sleep?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

Madison sat up in the bed. "I don't have to explain myself to you".

Natasha had some nerve. "Madison…that witch is messing with your mind. She's making you think…"

"You don't know a thing about Pietro".

"And you do?"

"Get out of my way, Nat. I'm done talking to you".

"What about Bruce? Wanda made him go on a rampage. He hurt innocent people, Madison".

"SHUT-UP!"

Natasha grabbed Madison's arm and Madison whirled around, trying to slap Natasha, but she caught her wrist. "Gonna have to do better than that, Baby Bird", she said.

This led to a full on fight between the two women.

Natasha wasn't angry with Madison, but her daughter's judgment was clouded.

Madison had Natasha pinned when someone grabbed her around the waist and pulled her off the spy. "Let me go!" Madison roared. Madison's hands were glowing green and she looked ready to spit fire.

"Easy there, Baby Bird", Clint said. He dragged her kicking and screaming out to the front yard. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Natasha just said something that pissed me off".

"Which was?"

Madison glared at her father and said nothing.

"Stop being so goddamn stubborn!" Clint snapped.

"She has feelings for the Maximoff boy", Natasha said appearing on the porch.

Clint looked at his daughter who was standing with her arms crossed over her chest glaring at the ground. "After all they've done? Natasha nearly had a mental breakdown! The girl caused Banner to go on a rampage!"

Madison knew her father and her surrogate mother were right, but against her better judgment, she'd fallen in love with Pietro. Madison continued to stare at the ground as tears of frustration filled her eyes.

Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me you haven't fallen for him".

Madison could hear the disappointment in her father's voice. She brushed past her father and Natasha and stormed back up to her room. She went to her bathroom and shut the door. Madison slid down the door as she finally gave in. Built up tears came streaming down her face.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Whoever it is, go away", Madison pleaded.

"It's Laura. They're getting ready to leave".

Madison stood up and opened the door. She was surprised when the woman hugged her.

"You can't help who you love", Laura said as she handed Madison her uniform.

Madison slipped on her uniform. As she was taking out her braid, Madison heard the door open.

The little girl…her half-sister…stood there.

"Um, hi?" Madison said.

"Lila! What are you doing up?" Laura asked.

"Lila? Cute name".

Lila smiled at her before her mother ushered her back to bed.

Madison hoped she had a daughter one day. After she was ready, Madison boarded the Quinjet. "So where are we headed?" Madison asked Steve.

"Seoul, South Korea".

* * *

**A/N - Super excited for the next chapter. I assure you that Madison is still angry at her father and Natasha. I plan on dealing with this later.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N - So I saw Endgame again today and I've got a better idea of where I want Madison during it.**

* * *

Pietro and Wanda were with Ultron in Dr. Cho's lab.

"Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream", Dr. Cho told him, "We're uploading your cerebral matrix now".

"I can read him", Wanda said after a few seconds, "He's dreaming".

"I wouldn't call it dreams. It's Ultron's base consciousness. Informational noise. Soon…"

"How soon?" Ultron asked, "I'm not being pushy".

"We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts", Dr. Cho told him.

Wanda stepped up to the cradle and pressed her hands to it, reading Ultron's mind. A vision of a cataclysmic event hit her. She cried out in shock.

Pietro rushed to his sister's side, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"How could you?" Wanda asked Ultron.

"How could I what?"

"You said we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world".

"It will be better".

"When everyone is dead?"

Pietro's head snapped to Ultron.

Dead? No. No, that would mean Madison would die as well and Pietro couldn't let that happen. Not to her.

"That is not…the human race will have every opportunity to improve", Ultron told them.

"And if they don't?" Pietro asked.

"Ask Noah".

"You're a madman", Wanda said.

"There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs! When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it. And, believe me, he's winding up. We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak".

Pietro couldn't believe that they ever followed Ultron. "And who decides who weak?" he asked, as Wanda released the mind control on Dr. Cho.

Ultron chuckled. "Life. Life always decides".

They heard the roaring engines of an aircraft.

"There's incoming", Ultron said.

Pietro placed a hand on Wanda's head and kissed her temple.

"The Quinjet. We have to move", Ultron told them.

"That's not a problem", Dr. Cho said, pausing the uploading process.

Ultron sighed in annoyance and blasted Dr. Cho as Pietro picked Wanda up and rushed out of the lab.

* * *

"Drop me with Steve. I'll find the twins", Madison told her father as they arrived in Seoul.

"What? How?"

"Just trust me!"

Steve scooped Madison up in his arms and jumped out the back of the Quinjet. Steve set Madison down and she switched on her comm. "Two minutes. Stay close", Steve told them. He turned to Madison. "How are you going to find the twins?"

"Just trust me on this". She cleared her mind and searched the city for Pietro's brain signature. _  
_

_Pietro. _

Pietro's head turned.

"What is it?" Wanda asked.

"Madison. She's in the city", Pietro said.

_We're in the marketplace, _Pietro told her._  
_

_Coming to you_. Madison concentrated and appeared right next to Pietro.

He caught her as she swayed. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine", she breathed, "That works a lot better when we're in the same city".

Pietro smiled, cupping her cheeks and placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry", Pietro told her.

"Shh, it's okay". Madison turned to Wanda. "Hi, we haven't officially met. I'm Madison Barton".

"I know who you are. You're the girl from my brother's dreams".

"Oh", Madison said, blushing, "Sorry about that one dream then".

"Madison, we've got a situation on the train…" Steve said.

She sighed. "Ultron is on the train with Steve. We need to go". Madison appeared in the train car along with Pietro and Wanda.

"Please, don't do this", Ultron told Wanda and Pietro.

"What choice do we have?" Wanda said.

Ultron blasted his way out of the train.

"I lost him!" Steve yelled over the coms to Clint, "He's headed your way!"

The train went speeding off the track.

"Civilians in our path", Steve told Pietro. Pietro looked at Madison, who nodded. Pietro sped out of the train.

"Can you stop this thing?" Steve asked Wanda.

"I don't know".

Madison took her hand and said, "I'll help you".

Wanda smiled at the girl.

Red magic wrapped around green and together they stopped the train.

Madison felt lightheaded and sat down in a seat. "Pietro? Where's Pietro?" she asked.

"He is here", Wanda told her. Wanda helped Madison up and led her out of the train.

Madison saw Pietro sitting down breathing heavily. The young man stood up and Madison threw her arms around him.

"I'm fine", he told her, "I just needed a moment".

Steve stopped when he saw the two.

One of Madison's hands rested on the back of Pietro's head, while another rested on his upper back.

The silver haired speedster was stroking her shoulder length brown hair. Pietro relished the fact that he could actually hold her in his arms. Feel the steadiness of her heartbeat, the silkiness of her hair under his fingertips.

Steve walked up to them, but Pietro didn't pull his arms away from Madison.

He kept one hand firmly on her waist, while Madison's hands stayed on his jacket.

"The Cradle. Did you get it?" Wanda asked Steve.

"Stark will take care of it".

"No, he won't".

"You don't know what you're talking about. Stark's not crazy".

"He will do anything to make things right. Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/N - We're so close to the Battle of Sokovia!**

* * *

In order to get back to New York, they had to hijack a plane from a military base with the help of Rhodey's contacts.

They arrived back at Avengers Tower as they heard Banner say, "You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes".

"I'm gonna say this once", Steve said.

"How about "none-ce"?" Stark quipped.

"Shut it down!"

"Nope, not gonna happen".

"You don't know what you're doing".

"And you do?" Banner asked. He gestured to Wanda. "She's not in your head?"

"I know you're angry", Wanda said.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade".

A ball of green fire formed in Madison's hand. "You'd never get the chance".

"What? You're on their side now?" Stark asked, "After everything they've done?"

"Who's the person who used to make weapons of war? People can change, Tony".

"Banner, after everything that's happened…" Steve said.

"It's nothing compared to what's coming!" Stark argued.

"You don't know what's in there!" Wanda told them.

"This isn't a game!" Steve added.

Pietro rolled his eyes and sped around the room pulling all of the cords out of the Cradle. "No, no. Go on", he said as the systems started powering down, "You were saying?"

A gunshot was heard and the glass Pietro was standing on shattered, sending him falling.

"Pietro!" Wanda and Madison yelled.

Clint pinned Pietro down and said, "What? You didn't see that coming?" An arrow was aimed at Clint faster than he could blink.

"Let him go. Now", Madison told him.

"You'd betray your own family?"

"I'm not the person who had a secret family".

"No, but you had a secret love. Come on, Madison. This guy?" Clint asked, pointing to Pietro.

Madison lowered her bow when Thor came crashing into the lab.

He slammed his hammer down onto the Cradle and whatever was in the Cradle came flying out.

It went towards Thor, who threw it through a window. It stopped itself before it could fly out of the tower. It hovered in front of the window for a minute or so. It's body turned gray, almost like it was putting clothes on. It floated towards them as Pietro rejoined Wanda and Madison.

"I am sorry. That was…odd", it said. It turned to Thor. "Thank you". It added a cape to itself after seeing Thor's.

"Thor, you helped create this?" Steve asked him.

"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that", Thor said, pointing at the gem in its head.

"What? The gem?" Banner asked.

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities", Thor explained.

"Then why would you bring…"

Thor cut Steve off. "Because Stark is right".

"Oh, it's definitely the end times", Banner said, causing Madison to smile.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron", Thor told them.

"Not alone", the Vision said.

"Why does your Vision sound like JARVIS?" Steve asked.

"We reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new", Stark explained.

"I think I've had my fill of new", Steve told him.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron", Vision said.

"You're not?" Steve asked.

Vision shook his head. "I'm not Ultron. I am not JARVIS. I am…I am".

"I looked in your head and I saw annihilation", Wanda said, walking up to him.

Pietro carefully watched his twin sister, while Madison held him back.

"Look again", Vision told her.

Clint scoffed. "Her seal of approval means jack to me".

"Well I trust you", Madison told Wanda.

"Yeah, you would", Clint muttered.

"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone", Thor told them, "And they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side…"

"Is it?" Steve asked, "Are you? On our side?"

"I don't think it's that simple", Vision told them.

"Well it better get real simple real soon", Clint said.

Madison glared at her father. He was really starting to piss her off.

"I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't. He will end it all", Vision told them.

"What's he waiting for?" Stark asked.

"You".

"Where?" Banner asked.

"Sokovia", Clint said.

The twins looked uncomfortable at the thought of returning to their home country.

"He's got Nat there, too", he said.

"You lost Natasha?" Madison asked.

Clint rolled his eyes. She had just _now_ realized that her mother was missing.

"Ultron got her when I was trying to get the Cradle", Clint told her.

Madison opened her mouth to say something when she heard Pietro's voice in her head. _  
_

_Not now Kolibri, _he told her.

Banner approached Vision. "If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be…"

"What will you do?"

Banner let the threat hang in the air.

"I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth. So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go", Vision said, handing Thor his hammer.

Everyone's mouths were open in shock.

Thor took his hammer as Vision walked off. "Right", Thor said. As he walked past Stark, he patted him on the shoulder. "Well done".

"Three minutes. Get what you need", Steve told them.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N - The Battle of Sokovia is the next chapter after this one! Also, I've written ahead in this story (thank god, because overtime is kicking in at work), so hopefully there won't be any breaks between chapters.**

* * *

Madison went to her room to change into a new suit.

"Are you in a fight with your father?" Pietro asked her as he waited in her bedroom.

"It's a long story. And we only have three minutes". When she came out of her closet, Pietro was smirking.

"Smart-ass", he said, pecking her lips.

Madison was so glad she could do this anytime she wanted to now. She led him to the armory, where she grabbed her bow and some arrows. She strapped her dagger to her thigh and grabbed two guns. She handed Pietro a blue shirt and some jogging pants.

As he changed, Wanda watched Vision and Thor interact.

Madison walked up to her as Pietro pulled a pair of sneakers down from the shelf. "You like him", Madison said, bumping her shoulder.

"What?"

"Vision".

Wanda was suddenly hit in the face with a red jacket.

"That's Natasha's", Madison said.

"I won't wear it if you don't want me to", Wanda told her.

"No, I think she'd want you to have it. Us bad-ass bitches gotta stick together".

"Who's a bitch?" Pietro asked, appearing next to Madison.

"Go away. We're having girl time!" Madison said, playfully wrapping her arms around Wanda.

Unbeknownst to them, Steve was watching them in the distance. It'd been a while since he'd seen Madison's playful side.

She and Pietro were meant to be together.

You just had to look at them to know they cared deeply for each other.

She wasn't his anymore. She was Pietro's now and that fact made Steve just a little bit sad.

* * *

They boarded the Quinjet and in true Captain America fashion, Steve gave everyone a pep talk (although it was more like a speech).

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right".

"Did you write that down? Or was that off the top of your head?" Madison asked him, echoing Sam's words just before everything went down in DC.

Steve smiled at her and shook his head.

Wanda approached Madison and Pietro.

"Hey Wanda", Madison said.

"I was just wondering...what is your greatest fear?"

"It might be easier to show you", Madison told her. Madison took Wanda's hand in hers and opened her mind.

Wanda took her brother's other hand so that they were all three connected.

* * *

_They all stood on a battlefield.  
_

_Bodies and rubble lay among them.  
_

_Madison had her bow in her hand and was running around looking for her family. "Daddy!" she yelled. She found him lying on the ground, a huge wound in his chest. She dropped to her knees beside him.  
_

_"Madison" he gasped.  
_

_Madison placed her hands on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "I need an evac team immediately. My father is down. Wound to the chest and bleeding heavily", she said on her comm.  
_

_No one answered.  
_

_"Hello? I need an evac team!"  
_

_Still no answer.  
_

_"Dammit". Tears were streaming down her face.  
_

_"Shh, it's okay", he told her.  
_

_Madison shook her head.  
_

_"It doesn't hurt Baby Bird".  
_

_"No! No, you are not dying and leaving me!"  
_

_"You have grown into such a strong woman".  
_

_"Daddy, please. Please don't leave me. Please".  
_

_"I love you", he told her before his eyes closed. "_

_No! No! Please!" Madison collapsed onto her father's chest, not even caring she was covered in his blood. As she raised her head, she noticed the bodies of her fellow Avengers.  
_

_They were all dead.  
_

_She was all alone in this wasteland._

* * *

Madison gasped and let go of Pietro and Wanda's hands. She was breathing heavily as tears filled her eyes.

Pietro took her face in his hands and cooed, "Shhh. It's okay, _Kolibri_. It's okay. It wasn't real. You're here with us".

It had felt so real.

She could smell the death and destruction and feel the blood on her hands.

"You fear losing him", Wanda said.

"Being all alone", Madison clarified.

Pietro kissed her forehead and said, "I won't let that happen. I promise".

* * *

**A/N - I promise Pietro's nickname for Madison will be explained after the Battle of Sokovia! Unless you know Russian...**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**A/N - The next chapter is the continuation of the Battle of Sokovia, then I'll start wrapping this story up. The last few chapters of this book will be alternate versions of events (since I've already written them).**

* * *

As soon as they landed, Pietro and Wanda were the first off the ship.

Pietro sped to the police station, while Wanda used her powers to evacuate people.

Thor and Banner went to go get Natasha, while the other Avengers helped direct people out of the city.

"Baby Bird…" Clint said.

"We'll talk later", Madison told him.

Ultron bots started flooding the city before they could get anyone out.

"Well, guess it's time to earn a paycheck", Madison said, loading an arrow into her bow. Madison and her father started firing arrows.

"Get off the bridge!" Wanda told the people. She threw up an energy shield. "Run!"

A bot shot at Wanda and knocked her off her feet.

Madison ran over to her and helped her up. "You good?" Madison asked her.

Wanda nodded, leaning on her fellow Enhanced for support.

"Come on", Madison told her.

They continued to help people get out of the city before the ground started cracking under their feet.

Clint pulled them back as they started rising into the air.

"Oh, this is not good", Madison said.

"Where's Pietro?" Wanda asked.

"I don't know. I'll find him", Madison told her. Madison took off running, yelling Pietro's name both out loud and in her head.

"Looking for me Printsessa?" he asked, appearing in front of her.

Madison threw her arms around him. "Wanda and I were worried you got left on the ground. Although I'd much rather you be on the ground".

"Do you see the beauty of it? The inevitability. You rise, only to fall", Ultron said, "You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the earth will crack with the weight of your failure".

"Oh my god", Madison said, realizing what Ultron's plan was.

"Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal".

"Go", Madison told Pietro, "I'll go help Steve".

"What? I'm not leaving you".

"Just go. I'll be fine".

Pietro grabbed her chin and kissed her, before speeding off.

Madison made her way back to the bridge and started firing arrows at the bots.

"Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely", Steve said over the comms, "The rest of us have one job, tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed, walk it off".

* * *

Wanda and Clint were being overrun by Ultron bots and went crashing into a store front.

"How could I let this happen?" Wanda asked.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" Clint asked her.

"This is all our fault".

"Hey, look at me. It's your fault, it's everyone's fault. Who cares?" He sympathized with her in a way, having dealt with the same guilt over the Battle of New York. "Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know. Because the city is flying. Okay. Look, the city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense".

Wanda gasped as they were shot at again.

Clint fired an arrow through one of the holes. "But I'm going back out there because it's my job. Okay? And I can't do my job and babysit. It doesn't matter what you did or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you're good. I'll send your brother and Madison to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger".

Clint saw a lot of Madison in Wanda. She was scared, just like Madison had been scared during the Battle of New York. Clint cursed himself for not giving Madison a similar pep talk. Maybe he should have tried to be a better father to her instead of treating her like a soldier. But it was too late to take back any of that now.

"All right. Good chat", Clint said, standing up. He loaded arrows into his bow. "Yeah, the city is flying", he sang before bursting through the door.

A few minutes later, Wanda came out of the door, red magic swirling around her fingers. She blasted the bots with energy balls and tore them apart with her magic.

Clint gave her a nod. "All right, we're all clear here".

"We are not clear. We are very not clear!" Steve yelled over the comms.

"All right, coming to you", Clint said as Pietro flashed by him with his sister in his arms.

"Keep up, old man!" Pietro yelled.

Clint aimed an arrow at him. "Nobody would know. Nobody", he said lowering his bow, "The last I saw him, an Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already".

Why? Out of all the guys Madison could fall in love with. Why did it have be Pietro?


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**A/N - We're so close to the end, my friends. Still working on titles for the next one BTW.**

* * *

_Need help near the marketplace, _Madison heard Pietro in her head. She vanished and reappeared at Wanda's side, throwing green energy balls at the bots. Madison had already run out of arrows and bullets, so the only thing left was her powers.

Eventually, all the bots were gone.

"The next wave is gonna hit any minute", Steve said as they helped civilians off the streets.

Pietro took Madison's hand and led her away from the group.

"Pietro, what's wrong?" she asked him.

"Nothing. Madison…I…"

Madison's hand covered his mouth. "Don't".

"Why not?"

"Because the moment you say it, something is going to happen to you".

"Madison…"

"Just please…don't. I've seen too many movies where the guys tells the girl he loves her, only to die in the end".

Tears were filling her eyes. Did she love Pietro? Yes. More than anything else in the world. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't make them come out of her mouth.

"Madison listen to me", he told her, taking her face in his hands, "Nothing is going to happen to me. We're going to be together forever, okay?"

"But how can you know that?"

Pietro wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "Because something brought us together for a reason. Call it fate or God or whatever, but we were meant to be together. You're my other half and I love you".

All the breath in Madison's body left and her heart started thumping loudly.

"I love you", Pietro told her again.

"I love you", Madison echoed. She grabbed Pietro's face and pulled it towards hers, slamming her lips on his. She'd been dreaming about this moment. "I love you. I love you. God, I love you", Madison told him, between kisses.

One of Pietro's hands slid into Madison's hair, while the other gripped her hip.

The two pulled away from each other breathless.

Suddenly, Fury's voice came over the comms. "Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better".

A helicarrier appeared and parked itself right next to the floating city.

"Nice, right? Pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do", he said.

"Fury, you son of a bitch", Steve said.

"Ooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth? I thought it was Madison's job to be a potty mouth".

"Ha-ha Fury", Madison deadpanned.

"This is SHIELD?" Pietro asked as lifeboats started to fly over to the city.

"This is what SHIELD is supposed to be", Madison told him.

Pietro looked at her and kissed her forehead. "This is not so bad".

"Let's load them up", Steve said as the lifeboats landed.

They rushed the people onto the lifeboats. After loading most of the people up, they headed for the church where the Core was.

Thor, Vision, and Stark were already taking on the Ultron copies.

Pietro set Madison down and her hands turned green as she started ripping the bots apart like Wanda.

Wanda and Clint arrived at the church and Pietro sped over to his sister.

"You good?" he asked her.

"Yeah".

Clint threw his arms around his daughter. "When we get out of this, you and I are gonna have a nice long talk".

"I'll hold you to that", Madison said.

Finally, Natasha and Banner showed up.

"What's the drill?" Natasha asked.

"This is the drill", Stark said, pointing to the core, "If Ultron gets hand on the core, we lose".

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor taunted Ultron.

Ultron bots came running towards them.

"You had to ask", Steve told him.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron asked.

"Well, like the old man said…Together", Stark said and the battle started.

The bots were destroyed left and right with everyone using their skills to stop them. Pretty soon, most of the bots were destroyed with the others taking to the skies.

"We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats. I'll sweep for stragglers. Be right behind you", Steve said.

"What about the Core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it", Wanda said, "It's my job".

"I'll stay with you", Madison told her.

"No. Wanda can handle it, I want you to get on a boat", Steve said.

"But…"

"Please, for once. Don't argue".

"Fine". Madison looked at Wanda who nodded.

"Nat, Madison, this way", Clint said.

Madison followed her father and Natasha to the lifeboats.

Natasha went to go get Banner, while Clint and Madison got on the boat.

There was a young woman screaming for a boy named Costel.

Clint spotted the boy across from them. "Stay on the boat", Clint told her. He ran towards the little boy and scooped him up in his arms.

An aircraft came flying towards them, firing bullets.

Madison could hear the _ping_ of Pietro's mind getting closer. "No!" She threw her hands up and created a shield around Pietro and her father at the last second.

Banner jumped and went after the Quinjet.

Madison released the shield and ran over to Pietro.

"Madison", he gasped.

"No, no, no", she breathed seeing the wounds in his chest. She hadn't been able to stop all the bullets, but maybe she could heal him. Madison placed her hands on his chest and willed his body to heal.

"Madison, stop!" Clint said.

She had blood dripping from her nose.

He pulled Madison's hands off of Pietro and she collapsed right next to him. Clint ran over to the lifeboat and set the little boy down, before running over to his daughter and Pietro.

"I need assistance", Clint said over the comm, "Both Maximoff and Madison are down".

Steve ran over to them and picked up Madison, while Clint picked up Pietro. "Is he dead?" Steve asked.

"I…I don't know", Clint told him, "He was hit and Madison healed him. I think".

"We need to get off this rock", he told Clint and the two of them carried Madison and Pietro to a lifeboat.

* * *

**A/N - C'mon, you didn't think I was really going to kill Pietro, did you?**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A/N - Clint and Madison's talk and the birth of Nathaniel is coming up!**

* * *

Both Pietro and Madison were taken to the infirmary aboard the helicarrier. Despite protocol, Pietro and Madison were placed in the same room.

"She'll wake up", Natasha told Clint.

"I know". His Baby Bird was a fighter. She had proved that time and time again. He just hoped that it wouldn't be three months this time.

Wanda stood by the window, watching her twin fight for his life as well. "You said she healed him?" Wanda asked Clint.

"Yeah. Guess she wanted to give him a fighting chance".

"C'mon. We could all use some rest", Natasha told him, "They'll call us when they're up". Natasha led the two away from the infirmary.

Pietro was the first of them to wake up. Of course, he was upset that Madison had risked her life to save him.

"That's what she does", Clint told him, "She puts her life on the line for the people she loves". Clint didn't particularly like the boy, but he loved Madison. He only wanted her to be happy so if Pietro was what made her happy, he would learn to like him.

Loki, under the guise of invisibility, appeared in the room. He walked up to where Madison lay. "I warned you, little dove", he said placing his hand on her cheek, "Wake up, little one".

Madison opened her eyes.

"You are very weak. Do you want this? If you don't I can make it go away. All the hurt. All the pain". _  
_

_No_, Loki heard in her mind. An image of Pietro also popped into his head. "You wish to stay because of the boy? Very well, little dove". Loki's magic reached out to Madison's. He only gave her a little so he would have enough to travel back to Asgard.

"I warned you once and I will warn you again. You must not use your powers in large quantities. You need to build your strength up with them. Then you will be able to use them fully". Loki stood up and leaned down to place a cold kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye, little dove", Loki said disappearing.

* * *

A couple of days later, Madison woke up. She sat up in bed and looked around. Clearly she was back on the helicarrier, but where was everyone?

Dr. Cho entered the room and said, "It's good to see you up Miss Barton. Don't worry; I've already contacted your father and Mr. Maximoff".

In a second, Pietro stood in front of her. He made his way to the side of her bed and sat down. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. "I've missed you, _moy Kolibri_".

"Why do you call me that?"

"_Kolibri_?"

Madison nodded. "It means hummingbird, right?"

"In some folklore, hummingbirds are healers and bringers of love. Without you, I wouldn't be here right now. You're my Hummingbird".

Madison pulled back and kissed Pietro.

They heard someone clear their throat.

Pietro pulled away and said, "Don't worry. It's only Wanda". Pietro got up and Madison was attacked by Wanda hugging her.

When Wanda pulled back, her eyes were shining with tears. "You saved my brother. I'm forever in your debt".

"Teach me to do what you can do and we're even".

Clint and Natasha entered the room next. Clint hugged his daughter. "I'm so glad you're okay".

"Did you not think I was going to wake up?"

"We knew you'd wake up", Natasha reassured her, "We didn't doubt you for a second".

* * *

After being cleared by Dr. Cho, Madison was released. Madison had decided to stay with her father while she recovered from the Battle of Sokovia.

Pietro followed her, while Wanda stayed with the Avengers.

This would be the first time the twins had been separated for a significant amount of time.

Clint, Pietro, and Madison entered the farm house.

"Hey", Clint said.

With tears in her eyes, Laura walked up to him and kissed him.

Pietro looked at Madison confused. _  
_

_Umm, this is my step-mother Laura, _Madison explained to him.

Pietro nodded as Laura turned to them.

"Hi", Madison said, awkwardly, "This is my boyfriend, Pietro".

"Madison and Pietro are going to be staying with us for a little while", Clint told Laura.

"That's fine. Madison can stay with Lila in her room and Pietro can stay with Cooper. At least until Nathaniel gets here. Which should be any day now".

Lila came running down the stairs and hugged Madison's waist.

"Hey Lila", she said, patting her head.

Pietro smiled at how Madison awkwardly interacted with her sister. _  
_

_I am not afraid to set you on fire, _Pietro heard.

Pietro mentally rolled his eyes. _Sure, sure, Kolibri_. _  
_

_Don't test me, Roadrunner_.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**A/N - Welcome to the last official chapter of "One Second and a Million Miles"! Like I said, the last chapters will just be alternate versions of what has already happened. Just to give you an idea of how it could have ended.**

* * *

After a few days, Madison and Pietro settled into life at the farm.

One day after lunch, Laura said, "Pietro, why don't you take the kids outside to play?"

Pietro looked at Madison who nodded.

Lila took Pietro's hand and they went inside. Lila had taken a liking to Pietro, much to Clint's dismay.

"Daddy?" Madison asked.

"We need to have that talk now Baby Bird".

The three of them sat down at the kitchen table.

"Here's your chance to get everything out", Clint said.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could've had a mother. I mean, I love Natasha and look at her as a mother figure, but I wanted a real mother. Someone who would make me breakfast and make sure I got on the bus to go school".

"I'm sorry I robbed you of that".

"It feels like you got to press a reset button. You got to start over. You got to have this perfect little family".

"In Sokovia…I had this moment with Wanda during the battle. She reminded me of you during the Battle of New York. I comforted her and I realized that I should have treated you more like a daughter than a trainee".

"In some ways, I'm glad you taught me what I know. I would have never become an Avenger and helped save people, but at the same time I would have liked to have had a normal life. I'd love to not have nightmares. I would have liked to have gone to a real school and done everything a normal teenager does".

"You can have it both ways. You can have a normal life outside Avenging".

Madison smiled sadly. "I know, but this is what I'm meant to do. I have these powers and I can help people with them. It'd be a shame to waste them".

"Well if you ever change your mind, you're welcome to come here. Laura and I will support you whatever you choose. Like I said before, Laura isn't trying to replace Natasha. Natasha is for all intents and purposes your mother, but Laura's here too".

"Umm…I don't mean to interrupt, but Lila wants Madison", Pietro said, "She seems to have become attached to her".

Madison stood up and walked over to him and pecked his lips, causing Pietro to smile.

* * *

Madison was woken up by someone shaking her. She shot up in bed about to grab her gun she had strapped to the underside of her bed.

"Woah, easy there", her father said, "Nothing's wrong. Laura's in labor".

"Is everything okay?"

"The midwife's here and taking care of her. I need you and Pietro to keep Lila and Cooper entertained if they wake up".

"Why would they wake up?" Madison asked him as a scream pierced the silence of the Barton household. "Okay". Madison went into Pietro and Cooper's room and woke Pietro up.

Cooper was already awake and sitting up in his bed.

"Kolibri? What's wrong?" Pietro asked her.

"Laura's in labor".

"Shit. How is she?"

"I don't know, but I think my father can handle it".

"Maddie?" they heard. Little Lila was standing in the doorway.

"Hey Lila", Madison said.

"What's going on?"

"In a little while, you'll have a little brother. Why don't we get you back to bed?"

"Will you tuck me in?"

"Of course, sweetie". Madison scooped her up in her arms and carried her back to her bed.

"Will you tell me a story?" Lila asked.

"A story? Umm…sure".

Lila scooted over to make room for Madison.

Madison sat down on the bed and the little girl curled up in Madison's lap. "Once upon a time…there was a little girl named Madison. Madison's mother had died giving birth to her. Now, this little girl wasn't just any little girl, she was a princess and her father was the king of a faraway land. When the princess turned 18, King Barton knew he had to marry her off".

"So what did he do?"

"He…held a ball and invited princes from other faraway lands. King Barton had selected two extra special princes. One was a complete gentleman. The perfect prince. His name was Prince Steven. The other was a trouble maker, but he had a sweet side. His name was Prince Pietro. King Barton knew the princess would choose these two princes out of all the others. But the princess couldn't decide which one she wanted to marry".

"What did the king do?"

"The king sent them on a quest. They had to slay a dragon and bring back some of the treasure it was guarding. The princes were gone for quite a long time and in the end, both princes returned. This presented a problem for the king and princess. So King Barton asked Princess Madison which prince she had missed the most. She reached deep down inside herself and heard her heart crying out for Prince Pietro. They were married in a beautiful ceremony and lived happily ever after".

"You're a really good story teller, sissy".

Madison smiled and got up. "Now, go to sleep. In the morning, you'll have a new brother". Madison kissed her forehead before leaving the room.

Pietro walked up to her and said, "Baby's here".

Madison smiled and followed him into her father and Laura's room.

Laura was sitting up in the bed, cradling little Nathaniel to her chest.

"Hey", Madison said, softly, "Congratulations".

"Now that you're both here, we'd like to tell you his middle name", Clint said.

"Daddy, what are you talking about?" Madison asked.

"His full name is Nathaniel Pietro Barton", Laura told them.

"After me?" Pietro asked.

"Without you and Madison of course, I wouldn't be here right now", Clint told him.

"Would you like to hold him?" Laura asked.

"Um…sure", Madison said.

Clint carefully placed Nathaniel in Madison's arms. "Support his head".

"Hey. Hey there, little one", Madison cooed.

Pietro looked over her shoulder at him.

Madison sniffled as tears filled her eyes. "He's so beautiful".

She couldn't wait for this moment. To be able to hold her own child in her arms.

* * *

**No chapter tomorrow. I have to go put flowers on graves with my parents and it's going to be a long day. Regular posting will resume Monday evening. **

**I also think I've settled on a title for the next one. **


	17. Alternate Chapter 14

Alternate Chapter 14

**A/N - We got back early, so I had time to write and edit this. This fic is about to get hella depressing, BTW.**

* * *

_Need help near the marketplace, _Madison heard Pietro in her head. She vanished and reappeared at Wanda's side, throwing green energy balls at the bots. She had already run out of arrows and bullets, so the only thing left was her powers.

Eventually, all the bots were gone.

"The next wave is gonna hit any minute", Steve said as they helped civilians off the streets.

Pietro took Madison's hand and led her away from the group.

"Pietro, what's wrong?" she asked him.

"Nothing. Madison…I…"

Madison's hand covered his mouth. "Don't".

"Why not?"

"Because the moment you say it, something is going to happen to you".

"Madison…"

"Just please…don't. I've seen too many movies where the guys tells the girl he loves her, only to die in the end".

Tears were filling her eyes. Did she love him? Yes. More than anything else in the world. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't make them come out of her mouth.

"Madison listen to me", he told her, taking her face in his hands, "Nothing is going to happen to me. We're going to be together forever, okay?"

"But how can you know that?"

Pietro wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "Because something brought us together for a reason. Call it fate or God or whatever, but we were meant to be together. You're my other half and I love you".

All the breath in Madison's body left and her heart started thumping loudly.

"I love you", Pietro told her again.

"I love you", Madison echoed. She grabbed Pietro's face and pulled it towards hers, slamming her lips on his. She'd been dreaming about this moment. "I love you. I love you. God, I love you", Madison told him, between kisses.

One of Pietro's hands slid into Madison's hair, while the other gripped her hip.

The two pulled away from each other breathless.

Suddenly, Fury's voice came over the comms. "Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better".

A helicarrier appeared and parked itself right next to the floating city.

"Nice, right? Pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do", Fury said.

"Fury, you son of a bitch", Steve said.

"Ooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth? I thought it was Madison's job to be a potty mouth".

"Ha-ha Fury", Madison deadpanned.

"This is SHIELD?" Pietro asked as lifeboats started to fly over to the city.

"This is what SHIELD is supposed to be", Madison told him.

Pietro looked at her and kissed her forehead. "This is not so bad".

"Let's load them up", Steve said as the lifeboats landed.

They rushed the people onto the lifeboats. After loading most of the people up, they headed for the church where the Core was.

Thor, Vision, and Stark were already taking on the Ultron copies.

Pietro set Madison down and her hands turned green as she started ripping the bots apart like Wanda.

Wanda and Clint arrived at the church and Pietro sped over to his sister.

"You good?" he asked her.

"Yeah".

Clint threw his arms around his daughter. "When we get out of this, you and I are gonna have a nice long talk".

"I'll hold you to that".

Finally, Natasha and Banner showed up.

"What's the drill?" Natasha asked.

"This is the drill", Stark said, pointing to the core, "If Ultron gets hand on the core, we lose".

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor taunted Ultron.

Ultron bots came running towards them.

"You had to ask", Steve told him.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron asked.

"Well, like the old man said…Together", Stark said and the battle started.

The bots were destroyed left and right with everyone using their skills to stop them. Pretty soon, most of the bots were destroyed with the others taking to the skies.

"We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats. I'll sweep for stragglers. Be right behind you", Steve said.

"What about the Core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it", Wanda said, "It's my job".

"I'll stay with you", Madison told her.

"No. Wanda can handle it, I want you to get on a boat", Steve said.

"But…"

"Please, for once. Don't argue".

"Fine". She looked at Wanda who nodded.

"Nat, Madison, this way", Clint said.

Madison followed her father and Natasha to the lifeboats.

There was a woman crying for her son.

Clint spotted him across the street. He sighed and ran out of the lifeboat.

"Daddy!" Madison yelled.

Clint grabbed the small boy and started to make his way to the lifeboat. Suddenly, there were bullets shooting at him. He held the little boy to his chest and waited for them to kill him, but it never happened. Clint looked up and saw Pietro, his body littered with bullet holes.

"You didn't see that coming?" Pietro asked him, before collapsing.

Madison rushed to his side and turned him over. She started doing CPR on him.

"Madison…" Clint said.

"No! He is not gone!"

Steve found them and knelt down beside Madison. He took her blood covered hands away from Pietro's body as she broke down.

She felt like part of her had died with him.

He'd broken his promise to her. He promised that they would be together forever.

"C'mon. We need to get to the lifeboats", Steve told her. Steve carried his body to the lifeboat.

Madison sat by Pietro's side until they arrived at the helicarrier.

They were supposed to create a future together and everything had ended before it could begin.

Madison went to her room to clean up from the battle. She was about to get in the shower when she heard a knock on her door and Steve entered.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked her.

"That's just the thing; I'm not. I don't want to feel it right now".

"I know the feeling. He was a good man though. He saved your father".

"Because he promised me".

"What?"

"Before we left, Wanda asked me what I was afraid of. I told her it was of being all alone. He sacrificed himself, so I wouldn't be alone in the world. I've never had anyone die for me before".

Steve wrapped his arms around her and said, "You'll never be alone in this world".


	18. Alternate Chapter 15

Alternate Chapter 15

**A/N - I think there's one more chapter or so after this one and then we're onto Captain America: Civil War. I'm not sure how long it will be so I might combine it with Infinity War, but we'll see.**

* * *

Soon, it was time for Clint to return to his family. He and Madison stood out near the Quinjet. "Are you sure you won't come?" her father asked her.

"I'm more needed here".

He embraced her and said, "I hope you'll reconsider".

"I just need some time to deal with some things". Madison was starting therapy soon to deal with what had happened at the Battle of Sokovia and everything regarding Pietro. Then she would decide what she wanted to do.

Her father pulled back and kissed her forehead. "I love you Baby Bird".

"I love you too, daddy".

"Your mother would have been proud of you".

Madison smiled sadly at him.

"I know I don't say it enough, but she would", Clint said, "Bye Baby Bird".

"Bye daddy", she said and watched him get on the Quinjet. Maybe one day she'd have a family as well and she could leave this life forever. As she watched the Quinjet take off, Madison felt an arm wrap around her waist. She didn't need to look to know it was Steve.

Pietro was gone, but Steve would still be there for her.

* * *

A few weeks later, the new Avengers headquarters was purchased and renovated thanks to the funds provided by Stark.

Laura had also had her baby. A little boy named Nathaniel Pietro Barton after the boy who had saved his life.

While Steve talked to Stark, Madison found her feet leading her to the new memorial that had been built for all the fallen agents. She trailed her fingers across the wall with thousands of names engraved in it.

The memorial only contained two gravestones.

Madison made her way over to them. One belonged to the man who had practically raised her and the other to a man that she could've built a future with, had he lived. She knelt down in front of Pietro's grave. As she sat there, staring at the words on the gravestone Wanda walked up behind her.

"Pietro would not have wanted you to be so sad", Wanda told her.

"It should've been me". Madison knew it was foolish, but she wanted to take his place. It was something she had struggled with ever since the Battle of Manhattan. Why had she survived, while he was the one who lost his life?

"You know, Pietro sacrificed himself for you so you wouldn't be alone. No one should lose a parent. You have been through a lot for one so young".

Wanda came and sat beside her. "What is that saying? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?"

Madison smiled.

Wanda pulled out a picture. "Pietro carried this around all the time. I can't stand looking at it". She placed it in Madison's hand and said, "I'm sure he would've wanted you to have it. I know Pietro had feelings for you. I'm sure you two would have been very happy together".

Wanda patted Madison on the shoulder and left her alone.

Madison looked up at Pietro's grave. "I promise to keep it safe", she told him. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the gravestone as a silent thank you.

* * *

Laura was in the living room, picking up the kid's toys when the doorbell rang.

"Honey! Could you see who that is?!" Clint yelled.

Laura got up and went to the front door. She opened the door and saw Madison standing there. "Hi", she said. Laura embraced the girl.

Madison froze for a moment, before hugging the woman back. She let go of her as Clint came down the stairs. "Hi daddy".

Clint launched himself at her.

Madison wrapped her arms around her father. "I'm so sorry".

"Shhh. There's nothing to forgive".

Laura came back outside with the kids in tow.

Clint took Nathaniel from Laura's arms and placed him in Madison's. "

Hey there Pietro", she said.

Neither Clint nor Laura corrected her.

Nathaniel garbled and grabbed onto Madison's hair.

She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Would you like to come in? I just started dinner", Laura said.

"You mean I can stay?" Madison asked her.

"Of course you can. You're Clint's daughter. I know I'll never be your mother, but I hope that one day we can be friends".


	19. Alternate Chapter 16

Alternate Chapter 16

**A/N - We've reached the end, my lovelies! The title and summary reveal of the next book is coming right after this.**

* * *

That night after dinner, it was time to put the kids to bed.

"Come on you", Clint said picking Lila up. He walked over to Madison and placed a kiss on her head. "Night Baby Bird".

"Night daddy".

Clint, Lila, and Cooper made their way up the stairs.

Laura was washing the dishes.

"Do you want some help with that?" Madison asked her.

"No, its fine sweetheart".

Clint entered the kitchen again.

"Something wrong?" Laura asked.

"Lila wants Madison to tell her a bedtime story", Clint sighed.

"What?" Madison asked, "But I don't know any bedtime stories. My bedtime stories were always epic stories about missions".

"Just try it".

Madison got up and made her way to Lila's bedroom.

Lila scooted over to make room for Madison.

Madison sat down on the bed and the little girl curled up in Madison's lap. Madison hesitantly started stroking her hair. "Once upon a time…there was a little girl named Madison. Madison's mother had died giving birth to her. Now, this little girl wasn't just any little girl, she was a princess and her father was the king of a faraway land. When the princess turned 16, King Barton knew he had to marry her off".

"So what did he do?"

"He…held a ball and invited princes from other faraway lands. King Barton had selected two extra special princes. One was a complete gentleman. The perfect prince. His name was Prince Steven. The other was a trouble maker, but he had a sweet side. His name was Prince Pietro. King Barton knew the princess would choose these two princes out of all the others. But the princess couldn't decide which one she wanted to marry".

"What did the king do?"

"The king sent them on a quest. They had to slay a dragon and bring back some of the treasure it was guarding. The princes were gone for quite a long time, but in the end, only one returned. Prince Steven".

"What happened to the other prince?"

Madison took a deep breath and said, "Prince Pietro died. He had seen how Princess Madison had looked at Prince Steven and knew he would make her happy. He saved Prince Steven and died in his place".

"That's so sad".

"The princess was heartbroken, because part of her had loved Prince Pietro".

"So what happened? Did the princess marry Prince Steven?" Lila asked, looking up at Madison.

"Do you think that's how the story should end?"

The little girl nodded.

"Then yes, Princess Madison married Prince Steven and they lived happily ever after", Madison told her, "Now go to sleep". Madison got up and helped Lila get comfortable.

"Night sissy".

"Goodnight Lila", Madison said and left the room. She found her father standing outside.

"I heard everything. I'm so sorry Madison".

Madison broke down for the first time since Pietro's death.

Clint stroked her hair as he tried to calm his oldest daughter.

"I don't know what I want anymore", she cried.

"Maybe you should stay here for a couple of days until you figure it out".

Over the next few days, Madison slowly adjusted to life on the farm. But there were moments where she found herself missing DC or New York City. Madison was sitting on the steps of the house when Lila came out onto the porch.

Lila had become Madison's little shadow. Her siblings were nothing like her, so Madison didn't have that much in common with them. "Would you braid my hair?" Lila asked her.

Madison playfully rolled her eyes and said, "Sit down".

Lila sat down in front of her and Madison started to brush the little girl's hair. As she was finishing Lila's braid, the sound of a motorcycle was heard. "Go inside", she told Lila.

The little girl did as she said.

Madison stayed on the porch as Steve pulled up.

He turned off the motorcycle and got off, walking up to Madison.

"Why are you here?" Madison asked.

"I'm asking you to come back. We need you Madison. _I _need you".

* * *

Two days later, Clint found Madison in her room packing her bag.

"Knock knock", Clint said entering.

"I have to", Madison told him. She turned to him.

"I know you do Baby Bird. You're young and restless. I know the feeling".

When her bag was packed, Clint carried it down the stairs. Madison hugged Laura.

"Be careful", Laura said, "No more death scares".

Madison moved onto baby Nathaniel. She held him and kissed his forehead. "Bye Pietro", she said softly. Handing Nathaniel back to his mother, she moved onto Cooper.

She didn't know the young boy very well, but she leaned down and ruffled his hair. "Take care of your mother and sister, okay?" she asked him. She kissed his head and moved onto little Lila.

"Please don't go, Maddie!" the little girl said.

"I have to, sweetheart".

"Then I want to go with you!"

"I wish you could", Madison said, tears starting to gather in her eyes.

"When I grow up, I want to be like you", Lila said as she hugged Madison's neck.

Madison pulled her small arms away from her. "Listen to me Lila. Trust me when I say you don't want to be like me. I can't explain it to you now, but I promise I will when you're old enough to understand".

"Will you tell Prince Pietro that I hope he finds his happy ending?"

"I promise". Madison hugged the small girl and said, "I love you Lila".

"I love you too Madison".

Clint gathered Madison into his arms and said, "Please be careful".

"I'll try".

"Just remember, you _can _have both".

They all made their way onto the porch.

Madison handed her bag to Steve and he put it in the Quinjet.

"Watch out for her Nat", Clint said.

"You know I will".

"And Cap? Keep her safe".

Steve nodded at him.

Madison took one last look at the farm before getting on the jet. As they were flying back to HQ, Madison pulled out the picture of Pietro and his family. She would make Pietro proud.


	20. NEW BOOK

*drum roll*

The next book will be called "Spread My Wings and Fly". It will of course take place during Captain America: Civil War. I'm still debating as to whether it will include Infinity War or if I want to tack Infinity War onto the beginning of the last book. I may have to go back and watch Infinity War to get a better idea of where Madison and Pietro will be during it since I know what I'm doing with them at the end of this book.

Onto the summary!

**Clint Barton has completely retired from being an Avenger following the birth of little Nathaniel, leaving Madison to find her place in the world. It's difficult for Madison in the beginning, not having her father to guide her anymore. Things get even more difficult when the government steps in, wanting to control the Avengers. When the Sokovia Accords are put in place, the Avengers are torn apart leaving Natasha and Madison on opposing sides. Does Madison side with her mother Natasha? Or does she rebel against everything and risk her freedom?**

**"It's time for you to spread your wings and fly, Baby Bird", her father told her. "But...what am I supposed to do without you?" she asked. Her father tucked some hair behind her ear and smiled. "I'll always be here for you, but it's time to leave the nest".**

First chapter should be up tomorrow, but this one might take longer to finish since I still have a lot to figure out.


End file.
